Hi-ho! Today, I’m relaxing. I work very, very hard at relaxing at least 10/10ths of every day. Doesn’t matter if someone else is grumbling or trying to snuggle with me, it’s all about relaxing. Dad says I could give good lessons on how to relax. And if I had time from all my relaxing, I might think more deeply about that. But it’d cut into my relaxing time. Ya gotta pick your battles.
When I’m not relaxing, not at that exact moment, that is, I do other things. Someone left the soft brush here, probably because they were trying to brush my floofy sister Pia, who hates brushings of any kind, so I took it upon myself to learn how to brush myself. It’s true, I can do this!
I’m sure my current best friend Floppy Cat would agree with me about the soft brushy, and on relaxing; he’s very relaxed and quiet, a great role model. Somedays, we have long conversations, the extra quiet kind, on all kinds of things – relaxing, napping, self-grooming, snuggling. You know, all the really important stuff.
That’s pretty much all for today. The autumn sun is pretty bright so it’s time for me to snuggle under the covers on this freshly washed, fleecy, autumn blanket. Here’s a secret: I was waiting all morning for this very blanket to be washed, dried and spread out. Not that I didn’t want to share my day with you while I was waiting, oh no. I liked you being here, learning what I do, listening to my song. It’s just . . . this is the first fleecy blanket of the season, and it’s so soft and warm. And I’m sharing it with you! Nighty- night!
Around Colehaus, this first week of November, Mom’s borrowed autumn-y colors from outside to inside. No worries. These are fake leaves and flowers, so, Quint, you can ignore them and go about your business chewing on something else, like your food!
Quint wants you to know that other than a furry fake mousie or two, he hasn’t chewed on any fake flowers in, oh, almost a month or two. Maybe because Mom usually knows better than to set any out. Beside the point, smug Quint says.
Outside, everything is winding down including the very last of the magenta crepe myrtle. The blueberries have turned red and the burning bush (not photographed because it was shy this year) is brilliant in the late autumn sun.
Over by Joe, the frog’s, winter home, enough pine needles and debris have built up to support this mushroom, the first we’ve ever seen in our backyard. We kind of like the crooked face we see on it.
And speaking of Joe, the frog, we honestly thought he had moved away. He was very quiet all spring and summer, if he was around at all. We prefer to think he was away on vacation, overseas, in Switzerland perhaps, enjoying the sights and seasonal amphibian parties and had just returned home happy to discover everything is pretty much as he left it. He does look rather rested, we think.
Back inside, pretty Pia does what all good floofy kitties should do on autumn days – take a cozy afternoon nap. Her summer haircut is growing back in and perfectly timed. It’s getting cold here at night!
Tessa prefers her favorite partially-shredded box, a batch of fresh crinkle paper, a mousie friend and a clear view of the room which just happens to contain her sisters Olivia and Viola, neither of whom wished to participate in any of Mom’s photograph tomfoolery.
Lastly, Dad loves this dear neighborhood cat who has been visiting us some fifteen years now. Scruffy’s longevity surprises us. Just when we think he may have left us, he knows exactly when to show up and tolerate a good five minute scritching session, preferably administered by Dad. Though an outside cat exclusively, Scruffy has a good home just up the street and finds outside food left here at Colehaus for him and at a couple of other homes on his daily route, alongside heated feral shelters out back filled with straw that we know he’s used occasionally. He’s a such good boy.
